Apparatus for making bisulfite liquor.



PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

N. HEATH. APPARATUS: r011 MAKING BISULFITB'LIQUOR.

APPLICATION FILED IULYZ, 1906.

2 SHBETB-SHBET 1.

PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

N. HEATH. APPARATUS FOR MAKING BISULFI'I'E LIQUOR.

APPLICATION FILE!) JULY2, 19 08.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENTI orrron.

NOBLE HEATH, OF ANTIOOH, CALIFORNIA, 'ASSIGNOB OF ONE-FOURTH TO WALTERS. WEIGHT, AND ONE-FOURTH TO JAMES W. STEWART, OF CHI- CAGO, ILLINOIS,AND ONE-FOURTH TO JOHN H. WINSLOW, OF GLENCOE,

ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING BISULFITE LIQUOR- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Original application filed October 19, 1905, Serial No. 283,4=86, PatentNo. 830,996. Divided and this application filed July 2,1906.

. Serial No. 324,396.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, NOBLE HEATH, of Antioch, California, have inventedcertain Improvements in an Apparatus for the Manufacture of BisulfiteLiquor, of which the following is a specification.

This is a division of my application No. 283.486, filed October 19th,1905.

My invention relates to improvements in IO apparatus for the productionof bisulfite liquor.

The object of my invention is to provide such an apparatus for preparingbisulfite liquor, especially for use in digesting wood pulp for themanufacture of paper, which apparatus may be operated continuously,rapidly and economically to produce a high grade product, and whichshall operate to more completely utilize and absorb the sul- 2o furfumes or like element, and which shall be compact and economical ofinstallation. and operation.

These and such other objects as may hereafter appear are attained by myinvention, a convenient embodiment of which is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 shows an elevation of a complete plant. Fig.2 is a plan view; and Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged details.

Like letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several f guresof the drawings.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A and B indicate tankswhich are filled, preferably about two-thirds full, of

3 5 lime water, or lime water and magnesia, or like mixture, throughsupply openings which are tightly closed by the covers (I.

D is a furnace such as a sulfur furnace, where sulfur is burned eitherseparately or in combination with other chemicals, as may be desired.

E and F are cylindrical pumps operated from shafts e, f, respectively,said pumps connecting with the tanks A and B through pipes G and H (Fig.2).

I is a fume pipe for conducting fumes from the furnace D and connectingwith mixing pipes J and K, said mixing pipes leading into the tanks Aand B below the fluid level therein.

j L is an exhaustfumes pipe rising from the tank A and connecting withthe mixing pipe K, while M is a like exhaust fumes pipe leading from thetank B to the mixing pipe J.

N and O are vents from the tanks A and B, respectively, while P and Qare discharge pipes from the tanks A and B, respectively.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are control valves,

5 and 8 being preferably three-way valves.

R is a union between the fluid pipe T which leads from the pump E to themixing pipe J, and S is a like union between the corresponding pipe Uand the mixing pipe K. These unions are located at a considerable heightabove the fluid level in the tanks A and B to create an induced orforced draft of the fumes through the pipe I in a manner hereafterexplained, and may be conveniently constructed as shown in Fig. 3, thebranch fumes pipes'iand i leading into anozzle such as 1" in theinterior of the unions R and S, so that the falling column of water inthe mixing pipes J and K will induce a forced draft of fumes through thefumes pipe I and branch fumes pipe "L or '1), as the case may be, intothe mixing pipes J and K respectively.

With the apparatus set as shown in Fig. 1,

in which valves 1, 2, 3 and 4 are shown as open, 5 and 8 are shown asclosed against the outlets P and Q, and 6, 7 and 9 are shown as closed,the operation is as follows:

The pumps E and F being in operation and sulfur being burned in thefurnace D, the pump E will elevate the fluid mixed in the tank A to theunion B, whence the fluid will fall through the mixing pipe J aconsiderable distance, preferably from twenty to twentyfive feet,thereby not only allowing, but causing the fluid to be broken into fineparticles and to create a strong exhaust from the fumes pipe I andbranch fumes pipe i, so serving the double purpose of drawing the sulfurfumes into the mixing pipe J and of mixing such fumes with thefinelydivided 5 fluid, thereby exposing a maximum fluid surface to the sulfurfumes, and so facilitating in the best manner the absorptionby the fluidof the elements contained in the sulfur fumes and thus transforming thelime water, or lime water and magnesia into a bisulfite of lime or oflime and magnesia.

While the continued operation of the pump E causes the contents of thetank A to continuously pass the circuit of the fluid pipe T and themixing pipe J and to be continuously intermingled in the mixing pipe Jwith the sulfurous fumes until the fluid mixture in the tank A hasattained the desired strength, .the unabsorbed fumes which escape fromthe fluid after it returns to the tank A are free to rise through theexhaust fumes pipe L. Meanwhile the pump F being in continuous operationelevates the contents of the tank B through the fluid pipe U and union Sinto the mixing pipe K, thereby inducing an active flow of the exhaustfumes through the exhaust fumes pipe L and union S into the mixing pipeK, where the unabsorbed elements of said fumes are further absorbed bythe fluid from the tank B, and as such mixture of fumes and fluidreturns to the tank B through the mixing pipe K, any remaining fumeswhich have not been absorbed are free to escape through the vent 0.

When the contents of the tank A have attained the desired strength,which, of course,

will be long before the contents of the secondary tank B have-reachedthat same strength the valves 2 and 3 will be closed, the valves 6 and 9will be opened, and valve 5 will be set so as to close communicationbetween the fluid pipe T and the union R and to open communicationbetween the fluid pipe T and the outlet P, whereupon, as the pump Econtinues to operate, the contents of the tank A will be discharged toany suitable vat, digester, or other receiving device, and meanwhile,the-pump F continuing in operation, the contents'of the tank B will becirculated through the fluid pipes U and K and the exhaust fumes willcontinue to discharge through the vent 0. As soon as the tank A has beenemptied, the valve 5 is set to close the outlet P and to reconnect thefluid pipe T with the union R, the tank A is recharged. with freshsolution, the valve 7 is opened and the valve 4 closed; whereu on thetank B becomes the primary tan r, the exhaust fumes from the tank B areconducted through the exhaust fumes pipe M and branch fumes pipe i tothe union R, and finally escape through the vent N, and in due time, bya like manipulation of the valves as before, the contents of the tank Bare pumped out,the tank A running independently meanwhile.

It will thus be seen that with my apparatus the fumes are passedsuccessively through solutions varying as to the quantity of fumespreviously absorbed, so that the sulfur fumes are utilized in the bestmanner, two tanks of material may be simultaneously treated, while,without stopping the mechanism, the treatment will continue with onetank while the same machinery serves to empty the other tank, and by myarrangement of the unions R and S so as to utilize the action of thelong falling columns of water, I produce an induced current of fumes notdependent at all upon the speed with which the pumps cause the fluid topass through the circulating pipes, and I insure an expansion andbreaking up of the water column which facilitates the intimateintermixture of the water with the fumes, and since the water absorbsfumes only on its surface, I insure the exposure of a large watersurface to the intermingled fumes, thus producing a better product morerapidly, and thereby more economically utilizing the sulfur or likechemicals. So also, where for any reason it is not desirable to run bothpumps, or where either pump gets out of order or needs repair, eitherpump and tank may be runindependently, and while not as efficientlyutilizing the full strength of the sulfur fumes, either tank when runindependently will insure the rapid and economical production of auniform quality of product.

It will be further noted that while the embodiment of my invention shownin the drawings is what I consider a preferred construction, the basicidea of causing the fluid to fall a relatively great distance into thetanks, whereby the forced draft of the fumes, the breaking up of thewater into small particles, and consequentintimate intermingling of thefumes and the fluid solution and the ideas of further utilizing theexhaust fumes and of using the circulating pumps as a means to,discharge the contents of the tank from the mixing system, may beutilized. by various other obvious arrangements and connections of thevarious pipes with each other, within the broad process covered by theclaims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a tank provided with a vent at the top thereofto carry off fumes, of a sulfur furnace, a mixing pipe leading into saidtank, means for conducting fumes from said furnace to said mixing pipe,a pump arranged to draw fluid from said tank, a riser leading from saidpump to sa d mixing pipe, a discharge pipe communicating with saidriser, and control valves for said discharge pipe and said vent.

2. The combination with a sulfur furnace, of two tanks each providedwith a vent; mixing pipes leading into said tanks, respectively; a pumpconnected with each of said tanks; risers or fluid pipes leading fromsaid pumps, respectively, to said mixing pipes; discharge pipesconnected with said fluid pipes, respectively; a fumes pipe leading fromsaid furnace; branch fumes pipes leading from said fumes pipe to saidmixing pipes, respectively; exhaust fumes pipes connecting each tankwith the mixing pipe of the opposite tank; and control valves for saidbranch fumes pipes, exhaust fumes pipes, discharge pipes and vents.

3. The combination with a fumes generating furnace, of two tanks, amixing pipe rising from each of said tanks, respectively, means forconducting fumes from said furnace to said mixing pipes, means forcontrolling the flow of fumes from said furnace into said mixing pipes,means for conducting exhaust fumes from each tank to the mixing pipe ofthe other tank, means for controlling the flow of such exhaust fumes,means for conducting a fluid from said tanks into said mixing pipes,valve controlled means connected therewith for conducting the contentsof said tanks to a suitable receptacle, and valve controlled ventsconnected with said tanks.

4. An apparatus of the class described comprising means for generatingfumes, and a fumes and fluid circulating system comprising two tanks, amixing pipe leading into each tank, valve controiled means for conducting fumes from said generator to said mixing pipes, means forconducting a fluid from said tanks to said mixing pipes, valvecontrolled fumes vents opening from said system, and valve controlledmeans for conducting the fluid contents of said tanks out of saidsystem.

5. The combination with a fumes generating device, of a fluid tank, acirculatory system connected with the tank and comprising a pump and amixing pipe, a conduit from the fumes generating device to the mixingpipe whereby the fumes are drawn into the mixing pipe by means of thecirculation created by the pump, a valve to cut off the fumes from thecirculatory system, and a discharge pipe leading from the circulatorysystem, whereby the tank may be emptied through the operation of thesame pump used to promote the circulation of the fluid during theprocess of saturating the same with the fumes.

6. The combination with a fumes generat ing device, of a tank, acirculatory system connected with the tank and comprising a pump and amixing pipe, a conduit from the fumes generating device to the mixingpipe, whereby the fumes are drawn into the mixing pipe by means of thecirculation created by the pump, a second fluid circulatory system, anda fumes exhaust pipe leading from the tank to the second fluidcirculatory system, whereby the exhaust fumes from the first circulatorysystem are drawn into the second circulatory system.

7. The combination with a fumes generating device, of a fluid tank, acirculatory system connected therewith and comprising a pump and amixing pipe, a conduit leading from the fumes generating device to themixing pipe, a second circulatory system comprising a pump, avalve-controlled discharge pipe leading from the firstcirculatory'system and a valve to shut off the fumes from the mixingpipe, whereby the fluid in the first circulatory system may first besaturated with the fumes while the exhaust fumes are conducted to thesecond system and then pumped out of the tank by the continuousoperation of the same pump.

8. The combination of a fumes generating device, with two fluid tanks, acirculatory system connected with each of said tanks and comprising apump and amixing pipe, conduits from the fumes generating device to eachof the mixing pipes, an exhaust fumes pipe leading from each of saidtanks to the mixing pipe of the other system, and valves for shuttingoff the fumes conduits from the mixing tubes, whereby each of saidcirculatory systems may be supplied with fumes in alternation directlyfrom the fumes generator and then indirectly through the exhaust fumespipe of the other circulatory system.

9. The combination of a fumes generating device, with two fluid tanks, acirculatory system connected with each of said tanks and comprising apump and a mixing pipe, conduits from the fumes generating device toeach of the mixing pipes, an exhaust fumes pipe leading from each ofsaid tanks to the mixing'pipe of the other system, valves for shuttingoff the fumes conduits from the mixing tubes, and valve controlleddischarge pipes leading from each of the circulatory systems, whereby inalternation the fluid in each circulatory system may receive fumes fromthe exhaust of the other system, then direct from the fumes generatorand then be pumped out from the tank by a continuous operation of saidpumps.

NOBLE HEATH.

